Michael DeCesare

Death on Demand: Jack Kevorkian and the Right-to-Die Movement Michael DeCesare

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.;'Death on Demand' explores the polarizing role of Jack Kevorkian - 'Dr Death' - and his role as the most visible leader of the right-to-die movement. The book examines Kevorkian's activities in the context of the right-to-die movement to understand his crucial role in bringing the controversial practice of assisted suicide into the public conversation. Table of Contents: Introduction: From Janet Adkins to Brittany Maynard 1. A Self-Imposed Mission: Four Decades of Lone Activism 2. They ll Be After Me For This: Lighting a Movement s Fuse 3. A Serial Mercy Killer On Our Hands: The Emergence of Dr. Death 4. We re Some Friends of Dr. Kevorkian s: Pushing for the Right to Die 5. A Game of Cat and Mouse: Kevorkian on Trial 6. I Prefer Jail to Bail: Forcing a Showdown 7. Well, Sir, Consider Yourself Stopped: A Leader s Fall and a Movement s Decline Conclusion: Death with Dignity After Kevorkian Notes References"Biographical Note: Michael DeCesare is professor and chair of the sociology department at Merrimack College. He is coeditor of New Directions in Sociology and author of A Discipline Divided. Review Quotes: Death on Demand captures the important change agent that was Dr. Jack Kevorkian, whose actions caused a national examination of laws surrounding dying in America. With comprehensive treatment, DeCesare has produced a well-written and well-paced exploration of Kevorkian s efforts and the ongoing debate in American society. He places Kevorkian and his efforts deftly in the context of the shifts in American policy and practice, which Kevorkian both challenged and changed.--John Dombrink, University of California, Irvine"Publisher Marketing: Death on Demand explores the polarizing role of Jack Kevorkian Dr. Death as the most visible leader of the right-to-die movement. From a feature on the cover of Time magazine to interviews on shows like 60 Minutes, Kevorkian was a high-profile figure in the right-to-die movement, capturing constant media attention as he helped more than one hundred people kill themselves. The book opens with the death of Janet Adkins in 1990 Kevorkian s first assisted suicide then travels back to Kevorkian s medical school days and follows his nearly four decades as a lone activist. Death on Demand draws on Kevorkian s interviews and published work as well as newspaper and magazine articles to describe the doctor s publicity stunts, criminal trials, years in prison, and activities after he was paroled. Author Michael DeCesare examines Kevorkian s actions in the context of the right-to-die movement to understand his crucial role in bringing the controversial practice of assisted suicide into the public conversation."